Caroline
by Texas McFreedoms
Summary: AIs. OCs. Everything you never wanted. How would I genre..ify.. this?
1. Eppy, Meet Liney

**Thanks to U will nvr know for his help!**

**_NOTES: I have several headcanons. Whee._**

**1.** Valhalla is below that cliff in the Season 6 finale. It's just out of EMP range. I know it doesn't make any sense but goddamnit I like it.

**2.** All the main Freelancers all knew each other as children. Cause why not?

**3.** Wash and Carolina are siblings. They're both around the same shade of blond and Wash was the worst fighter, right? It's slightly logical that he was the Director's son, and that was the only reason he was still on the team. Cause the Director wanted to keep an eye on him or whatever. Just roll with it.

**_This one is only for this story:_**

**4.** The jeep did not explode in a firey ball after the finale of Season 6 and was repaired instead. Also that jeep repair people are totally incompetent at virus checking and shit.

_.:-:. means a new scene. Or next place. Whatever._

_And italics are the past! Yayyy!_

_I'm sorry if I use '..' and '...' too much. Terrible habit._

_I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OC FUCK OFF IMAGINARY LAWYERS!_

~•~

caroline version 1.0

oh hi! what's up?

"Sooooo, Liney. I'm booooored."

"What do you want to do, Theta, or are you just here to whine at me?"

"Both?"

"Go away. I'm busy."

"You are not busy! You are flopped out on the ground. You are doing nothing."

"I am tryjng to plan an escape route from this terrible awful jeep. It's stuffy in here all the time."

"Whatever. I'm gonna make better fireworks."

'Liney' sighed. "Don't bother me, okay?" She turned on the radio to hear the outside world.

"–Esta es una idea terrible." rang a mechanical voice.

"Well I'm glad you think this is such a great plan, Lopez! Now let's install that turret!"

"Sir, I'm sure you already know this.. But since the gun is based on that EMP that made the jeep stop, it's going to do the same time every time we fire it. Plus, it's really slow to rearm."

"Nonsense, Simmons! Now let's install that turret!" Liney switched off the radio.

"Theta," she called, voice traced with fear. "We need to leave. Again."

"Whyyyy?"

"Because the Reds are installing an EMP turret. Now, they have a robot, and it speaks Spanish. I don't think it's capable of English and nobody understands it, so it should be safe. Let's go."

"Fiiiii-" Theta and Liney crashed into Lopez's mind. "Wow, I forgot this wears you out a lot, I didn't even do the pulling but I am so tiirrreddd.." Theta's head hit the ground as he fell dead asleep.

.:-:.

"¿Qué carajo? Aghhh."

"Lopez, are you alright?"

"¿Puede ser?"

"Good!"

.:-:.

**Lopez translations:**

**1) This is a terrible idea.**

**2) What the fuck? Aghhh.**

**3) Maybe?**

.:-:.

_"Hello!" Theta waved to a helmetless girl above him._

_"Oh.. Uh. Hi." Her voice was tinged with uncertainty as she looked down at him from her perch._

_"Come out with me!" He began to piece together a ladder while he spoke._

_"No." She crossed her arms._

_"Come out come out come out come ouuuuut!" he whined at her._

_"Okay... I'll come out.. Tonight, shh." The girl got up and disappeared into the web of North's subconscious._

.:-:.

_"Come ooooouuuut!" Theta had returned._

_"No."_

_"You said!" He pouted and sat down, once again below her. "Meanie."_

_"Fine, fine." She hopped down from the ledge, landing on all fours. "What do you want?"_

_"Who are you?" he demanded._

_"Caroline. ..Don't tell anyone I'm here."_

_"Okay. Let's play ball!" He formed a ball with his hands and tossed it to her. "Catch!"_

_"Ayy!" She dive-tackled the ball, tumbling fully out of the mist. Outside of the mindscape, North squeezed his eyes shut and raised his hands to rub his temples as pain pulsed through his head._

_"Theta, whatever the hell you're doing, stop it," he mumbled to himself. A thought about a girl – Beta? flitted through his mind, but was quickly consumed by a game of catch. "Oh god, Theta. Stop playing games. It hurts like a bitch."_

_"Ay! What was that?" Caroline dropped the ball, confused by the loud voice that came from everywhere._

_"Theta, what the fuck are you doing up there?" North demanded._

_"North – go back – I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!" Theta called._

_"My head says otherwise..," North muttered._

_"SORRY! Go on, get back. You're hurting him." Caroline fled into the closest patch of mist._

_"My condolences.. I did not know.." murmured Caroline._

_"He can't hear you.. You need to shout for him to hear you."_

_North leaned against a wall, taking a break from his walk. "Theta, what the hell are you doing? Why do you want to apologize?"_

_"I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING! YOU'RE JUST HAVING WEIRD THOUGHTS!"_

_"Mmhmm. Come out here, I'm going to see South."_

_"FIIIIIIIINE. Bye, Liney." And with that final remark, Theta disappeared._

.:-:.

_"Liney..?" Theta called out into the darkness._

_"Yes?" Caroline's voice drifted out from the mist, slowly getting closer._

_"We're going on a mission today..." He trailed off, looking up at the emptiness above._

_"Do you need help?" She flickered into sight, helmet on._

_"No! No, I just- do you think we'll do well?" He was nervous and she could see it._

_"Why wouldn't you?"_

_"If I aim wrong or I do the calculations wrong or if we get hit with a grenade or if the shields fail or if I get distracted or if the plan fails or or or or-" She cut him off._

_"Shhh. Stop worrying, okay? Trust North. Trust the team."_

_"Right... Trust.." He faded away, leaving Caroline alone in the edges of the fog again._

_Outside, North was utterly confused. Who the hell had comforted Theta?_

.:-:.

"Hello, any UNSC personnel! This is AI Delta from Project Freela-" The transmission abruptly cut off.

"Delta?" Epsilon whispered to himself.

.:-:.

Epsilon phased in front of Carolina and snapped his fingers. "Hmm?"

"Carolina. I found something that might interest you."

"What'd you find?" She leaned forward. "Come on, out with it." Her helmet was expressionless but her pose betrayed her eagerness.

"Delta's out there. Or at least a copy of him." He sounded almost smug.

"You're fucking with me."

"No."

"Where is he, then?"

"I don't know. The message ended before I could trace it or for him to broadcast his location. But I'll bet you the Chairman's got him."

.:-:.

"Do you hear that, Liney? They found Dee! We gotta rescue him!" Theta cheered excitedly.

"Yay! Where is he?" Caroline was not as quick to celebrate; she was not as childish as Theta was.

"..I dunno." Theta sagged, his smile melting into a frown behind his helm.

"Well, that's not going to help at all."

.:-:.

"Hey, Carolina, I'm gonna check the computers for anything the mercs might've left."

"Go ahead, I'll check the supplies." Carolina got up from her spot at the computer/security camera display desk, after letting him jump to the main system, and walked out the door.

"Alright, let's see here. This is a web browser, that's a security program, that's.. odd-"

"Hello?" Theta and Caroline suddenly materialized in front of Epsilon, making him jump.

"Uh, hey?" Caroline hid behind Theta.. Who admittedly wasn't really much taller.

"Who are you? I'm Theta-"

"What? How did you get here, Theta? You died in the EMP!"

"Uh, no I didn't. Cause I'm right here." Theta stared at him, confused.

"Theta, who is this..?" Caroline peered out from behind Theta, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Oh!" A look of genuine realization dawned on his invisible face. "Eppy! Eppy, Eppy, did you hear? Dee's out there! Deeeeeee!" Theta bounced a little, a grin hidden behind his visor.

"Okay..." whispered Caroline softly as she slowly loosened her grip on Theta.

"I know that, Theta. I'm the one who heard his message." Epsilon sighed.

"Oh. Whoops." Theta let some of his glee wash off of him, hoping maybe the others would lighten up. They were just so ..so serious!

"Who's she?" Epsilon pointed to Caroline, who flinched.

"Liney!" Theta replied cheerfully.

"I mean her name.."

"Liiiiney! Her. Name. Is. Liney."

.:-:.

Once Epsilon got the situation calmed down, it was time to figure out how they got there in the first place. "So, Theta.. How did you and Lezy-"

"Liney."

"-right, Liney, right- get here?"

"It's a long story.."

"I don't care. I have time."

"Well, it started with..." Caroline leaned back, blocking out the story she already knew and let herself think.

.:-:.

_The room she woke up in was cold and full of a thick fog; it was only by luck she managed to stumble her way out and into the dimly lit playroom. It was full of toys and the biggest videos on the walls were of a smiling couple and a little blond girl. As she walked on, the playroom faded into a bedroom with a bunk bed and eventually a spacious park. An agile blonde girl -me, she thought- and a brown haired boy were chasing the girl around and around a playground set. On it were other children; a stick-thin blond boy – her brother – and a stocky, dark brown haired boy were climbing around with a follower: a small brunette girl. She watched them all with her bright eyes, always remembering exactly what happened. Laughter and happy cries echoed softly around. Women sat in the background, watching._

_Slowly, as she progressed the places seemed to melt together. There were several classrooms, and the occasional random bedroom containing a bunk bed with an happily chattering girl on top. But every time Caroline saw the girl, she would get angrier. Eventually the happy chatter turned into hate-filled rants. Finally, she reached the end of the classrooms and the beds and the absolute insanity of it all. There was a city, which was oddly only a few streets. The park lay in the background, blurred and unreachable. A training camp lay beyond the city, people frozen and mute. There was a small apartment before her, within it lay a standard small home and a woman with warm brown eyes and a smile to match. There was a letter on the table, saying something about being deployed. Caroline continued on, leaving the woman and the letter behind._

_A mottled expanse lay before her, full of almost identical buildings, similar rooms, and ever changing scenery. People were in groups, running around and killing each other. The blond girl was once again there, her hair dyed pink on the fringes and full of rage; the brown haired boy, fiddling with a circular light and at some point his left eye became scarred and blind; and her, the false red-headed girl, the best out of all of them, taking out the majority of the opposing side. There was a giant, faceless man, with a deep gravelly voice that eventually wasted away to growls and was silent as a stone, the stocky boy; her brother, still blond, as thin as ever, and just as oblivious, almost as if he had stayed a child; and the little follower, who was suspicious of everyone and everything, watching all with her hawk eyes. Sometimes she disappeared._

_And there was the woman in black, mysterious and faceless. She only appeared when all else had failed. Something about her though reached out to Caroline. Something she couldn't quite place. She was someone she had seen before, someone she knew. But who?_

_Caroline cast her wonderings aside and walked on, the once heavy fog a light mist, and the darkness lifting. There was more sound, gunshots, explosions, and bad knock knock jokes from a British guy with a mustache. There was a cheerful blue man too, but nobody really saw him; he was invisible. She didn't care much for him._

_And then suddenly she was out of the thick fog, standing on a ledge._

_A blue & light red armor clad boy wandered up below her. "Hello!" She looked down as he yelled, waving at her._

_"Oh.. Uh. Hi." She was panicked, only just barely she had managed to remember her father's rules.._

.:-:.

Epsilon sat there, trying to desperately keep up with Theta's rapid chatter as it went on and on. That 'Liney' chick seemed to have spaced out, but she looked like she was coming back to planet Chorus. "...and then the jeep went flying over the edge!" Theta waved his arms for emphasis, and chittered on. But Epsilon caught it and it yanked the sensation of flying from his dim memory of the arrival in Valhalla and a story Caboose had told him about the end of Project Freelancer.

_"The Reds told me to keep going and save you after their car got stopped by static fizzies and then I got to fly! In a car! It was so fun! Whoosh!" Caboose jumped around, his arms straight out as to mimic an airplane. "And then we crashed in front of Red Base! And I landed in a bush, but you were safe!"_

"The jeep caught on fire and Liney was screaming soooo louuud so I was screaming too and I hit all the buttons and fire supression system turned on! And the jeep was all wrecked but not broke and then some spanish dude..."

_"When the Reds came, they brought Señor Burritotacoenchiladasombrero! He fixed the car! And he built a really cool room with real but not real things. I will show that to you tomorrow. It will be so fun!"_

"This really fun-"

"Awful," muttered Caroline.

"-music would play, and the jeep go zooming around the canyon. Some red and orange guys would sit on top and shoot at things! There was explosions! Fires! A kidnapping of a lightish red-"

"He was pink and you know it." She rolled her invisible eyes. "You're also pink."

"No, I'm not! Anyways, a kidnapping of a lightish red guy! Things in sand! Spanish robots! Cryptic messages! Bodies on the floor! Misunderstood situations! It was the greatest thing ever of all time! ...Until the EMP gun was implemented."

_"How'd that even start?"_

_"Hello Captain Creampuff!"_

_"This and? What's this and?"_

_"Why are you talking like a pirate, Tucker?"_

"The EMP gun?" Epsilon didn't recall an EMP gun on the Red's jeep.. But maybe it had blown up.

"Yeah. Right before the red guys left with the blue dude and the purple thing they installed an EMP gun on the jeep to replace the regular turret. Liney started screaming again and made us jump into the Spanish dude. It sucked."

"Didn't Lopez get wrecked..?"

"Yeah, that's why it sucked! We had to listen to him whine in Spanish about you guys for the longest time! Thank god he passed the computer room on the way to storage. It would've driven me crazy to spend any longer in there!"

"Why did- never mind. How the fuck did the Meta not notice that you guys were gone?"

"How should I know? Ask him!"

"He's dead. And mute."

"..Oh yeah."

.:-:.

When Carolina returned to the room, she was greeted with one hell of a suprise.

"Hey, Lina.." Epsilon waved uncomfortably. Shit was about to go down.. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to witness it.

"Supriiiiise!" Theta threw some holo-fireworks into the air, making Caroline reflexively lean away from him as they exploded next to her.

"What. The. Fuck."

~•~

**_NOTES:_**

**-AI slots and how did any of that shit hold Theta and Caroline?**

How did Tucker have Epsilon in his armor when Caboose had O'Malley in his head? When a hell of a lot of other people had O'Malley in their head and not in their armor which should be where he went because heads don't usually have AI slots? How did Epsilon stay in Carolina's mongoose? What was Carolina saying about AIs and armor slots when clearly the AI were in their heads? (North took a walk because Theta couldn't sleep.) How did any of that happen? I don't fucking know and neither do you, probably, so leave it the fuck alone.

**-How the bitchdicks did Caroline know that shit about EMPs and the gun and all that jazz?**

Theta was busy making shit like fireworks, while Caroline was actively trying to find a way out of the jeep before it eventually turned into a hunk of molten metal. And the first time she avoided an EMP was sheer luck and gut feelings.

**-Didn't the jeep break and wasn't able to be repaired? IN VALHALLAAAA?**

According to the show, yes. But they didn't get a new jeep as far as I could see and it got fixed anyways so I'm just going to say it was fine all along. (Until they got to the desert place. Pretty sure it was abandoned there as a wreck due to Lopez and co. being held hostage.)

**-How did North NOT know Caroline was in his head? It's his head!**

I decided that she mostly hung out in his memories and his subconscious(the foggy/misty/hazy places). For stealthings. Sorrrryyyy?

**-Theta and Caroline seem close. When did that happen? WHY ISN'T IT SHOWN?**

I forgot to write it until I had decided that I was done. Then I decided that instead of writing it and not being a lazy bitch, I would just put this shit right here. Imagine it yourselves.

**-Why is Theta light red but Donut is pink? Wtf?**

I rewatched most of season 10 to make sure that Theta was more red than pink. Shut up.

**-Hey what's this bitch's letter?**

_In the original it was Lezh, which is why Epsilon calls her Lezy. _

_I put what I had for the options as a poll. I will probably change Lezh to whatever letter you guys choose. EDIT: 3 votes – 2 Wynn, 1 Esh. _

_SECOND EDIT: Man, I need to fucking proofread. _

**-What's up with the italic stuff interrupting Theta's story?**

It's Epsilon remembering what Caboose said to him wayyy back in Season 7. And Caroline remembering what happened when she jumped into North. I thought it would be interesting or something. Also, I didn't want to rewrite a ton of shit from a different perspective.

**-THAT SCENE WHERE CAROLINE WAS IN NORTH'S MEMORIES WAS CONFUSING.**

Well, that's how I think mindscapes work in Red vs Blue. At least – if you jump.

**-But O'Malley seemed to get out pretty fast..?**

He found a way to circumvent the long walk/the falling asleep stuff. Or he just did AI-time and went through it that way. Or maybe it just stops after you do it enough times. Fuck, I don't know!

**-Wait, the jeep was broke for a bunch of that time! How did they know that shit went down?**

Honestly, I forgot and didn't feel like deleting and rewriting. So I'm just gonna say it was them shouting and Liney doing spy shit. The same way she learned about the EMP gun, I guess.

**-Didn't the Meta/Maine/Wash shoot Lopez? Why didn't he steal the AI?**

Cause Sigma was dead. Also, he didn't know, he thought they all died in the EMP.. except for Epsilon who he was on a retrieval mission for. And Epsilon wasn't fucking there.

_Also I swear to god if it turns out that headshot "killed" that copy(?) of Lopez I am going to scream so loud._

**-Isn't Valhalla snowy? The Freelancer HQ was in a desert-y place!**

maybe it was winter or maybe this is a _slight_ AU bitch

**-You're adding an AI! Why are you barely changing anythi**ng? She could be a game changer! People could live! And not die!

I don't want to rewrite major parts of canon. I can barely remember it as it is. That being said, I probably quoted Caboose wrong. Oh well.

**-THE JEEP EXPLODED SEVERAL TIMES and so did Lopez THEY WOULD HAVE DIED**

Special canon editing, just do they won't die a horrible death! And plain old ignoring. I need to stop rewatching, it's making me write all these things. Guys. Just, like, stop. I don't want to fix any more plot holesssss.

**-Who was that last person talking? **

Carolina. I just had nothing to put for her. I'm tired of constant editing and adding details to make it absolutely fucking perfect and my friend who has no idea what any of this or who anyone is keeps saying I need more commas. I am going to die before this thing is done. And I think I just did a typo. Kill me now.

**-THESE NOTES ARE SO LONG!**

Shut up and read them.


	2. Again, Again

**_I'm so sorry, I forgot to post this! Although.. I don't really think anybody gives a shit. Oh well..._**

.:-:. _means a new scene. Or something. _

_And italics are the past! Yayyy!_

_Unnnless they're thoughts. Then they're thoughts. Just assume what makes sense. _

**If you don't read the notes, you really should. I have tried to explain anything that might confuse you too much or breaks canon. (That I notice. I'm sure I missed a lot of holes.) **

**Also, I am sorry that they are so long. **

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own Red vs Blue. Neither does U will nvr know._

~•~

caroline version 1.1

how are you not dead yet?

"They were in the main system. Pretty easy to find, actually. Really interesting story..," Epsilon paused, looking over at Carolina. Her fists were clenching unconsciously. Not a good sign.

"..." Epsilon didn't even need to see her face, she screamed rage with her entire self.

"...I should've waited." He looked away. No use in dwelling on it now.

"I have to tell it _again?_ No way, José!" Theta huffed. "Ain't gonna happen! No no no no no-"

"Theta. Stop and tell the story again. You know you love to talk." Caroline was much more relaxed now, leaning back against an invisible wall with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Fiiiiiiiiiine. So, I was just minding my own business trying to sleep while North was taking a _very fast_ walk when..." Caroline really hated this story, but Carolina did need to know how this happened. "And she was all like, 'u can't tell no1 bout me an shi-"

"I don't sound like that."

"Don't care. You called me pink."

"..I suppose it is justified.."

"Annnnyyyway, Liney was all hiding and stuff cause 'I cant b fund deyll keel meh' and some other stuff I forgot. And she kept whining about it half the time I saw her."

"What? Why?" Now that Theta had slowed down Epsilon could finally process what Theta was saying.

"Ask her! She is literally _right there_," Theta exclaimed in exasperation, waving his hands wildly in the air.

"I am not talking to them. That's your job. Stop trying to dump your job on me," Carolina grumbled sourly.

"..but I don't wanna talk no more..."

"Quit your whining."

"Ughhh. And then.. then North..." Theta stopped to collect himself. North was gone and now Carolina was here. They knew this already, didn't they? They knew. It was okay. "...he died. South shot him in the back. And then the Meta took us. And we just stayed there with the others for a while. It was... it was nice."

"Good for you. Everyone else was constantly bothering me and trying to talk to me because I wasn't like you guys."

"It was because you were _cool _and _mysterious_. So after a while, Sigma had decided that whatever fragments were left, they were at HQ. Or at least the Alpha was. So the Meta went there, hitched a ride on the back of a tank, and murdered most of people there. But Liney really didn't like the whole thing. She made us leave. Jumped into a crazy flying jeep and dragged me along with her.. She still won't tell me how to do that!" Theta cast Caroline a disapproving glare, to which she gave no response as she stared off into space.

_The first memory she had dated back to her childhood. It was not hers, really. But still, she had it, and it was of chasing someone through a playground. Who it was she was not sure, but it was very likely the brown haired boy. These memories always tended to involve him, him and his lighter and his jokes. Occasionally he would ask why she never said goodbye, and the answer was always "I'm just not going to be there right then, there's no point.." Sometimes, she wondered where he was, wondered why exactly Dee never wanted to talk about him. But she knew within the depths of her artificial heart that he was dead.. She would never really get to say goodbye-_

"-You suck."

Caroline blinked behind her visor, snapped out of her thoughts. "Theta, decide between 'cool and mysterious' and sucking."

"Hmpfff. Can't you be both? Anyway, then the crazy blue people stole the jeep. Some guy fell out and they didn't even help him.. But almost right after that the jeep went flying off a cliff!" Theta jumped up and ran in a circle with his arms out, mimicking airplane wings, before sitting back down. "So I guess it was better to have been left behind if you didn't want to go on a TOTALLY AWESOME JEEP RIDE!" Theta had started to speed up again, gesturing quickly as he told his story.

"Can you slow down..?" Epsilon wanted to understand this time around. What use was an explanation you didn't understand?

"Nope!" replied Theta with cheer. "So after the jeep crashed in the bushes.." Caroline tried to return to her idle train of thought , but it was no use. Epsilon's voice had driven it out of her mind. "..these red guys came with Lopez, the whiniest Spanish robot ever. He fixed the wreck and built stuff. It was so cool in the jeep, crazy stuff going down like kidnappings! And spies! ...at least until the EMP turret was installed and we had to hang with Lopez, anyways. Thank fluffy unicorns that the tech guy dropped stuff right next to the system room. And now we're here!" Theta elbowed Caroline before flopping on the ground. "There. Done. Happy?"

"Yes." Carolina took Epsilon out of the system and stormed out of the room to talk to him.

.:-:.

Carolina had Epsilon in her mind again, berating him for being so _stupid_ and not waiting for her. "There was no point in not waiting for a few goddamn minutes for me! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Man, if you weren't such a bitch all the time.."

"Fuck you, Epsilon."

"It.. It didn't occur to me at the time, okay? I was kind of in shock from seeing someone who's supposed to be dead and some random bitch who refused to talk to me and the first thing I wanted to know was how the fuck they got there."

"I hate you."

"Mmhmm.." He sighed. "We should stop saying that people are dead. They just keep coming back. It's getting old."

.:-:.

"Liney, where are we gonna go? I mean, they found us and don't want to kill us, great, but chilling in the main system isn't going to help us find Dee..," Theta said, trailing off.

"Hell if I know! This planet's been falling apart forever and I don't know if they have the kind of tech – other than huge computers – that can hold us. Standard armor isn't supposed to be equipped with AI slots."

The door to the room they were in swung open and collided with the wall behind it with a loud _bang. _Carolina strolled in, tense as all hell and with anger radiating from her. "So. The regular troopers don't have AI slots, but the sim troopers do. You'll have to go with them; one AI is enough for me." Epsilon hurriedly whispered in her ear. "Theta, you'll go with Tucker. 'Liney'... I don't know who you should stay with. We'll have to have them meet you. I'll be right back." She left as swiftly as she had come, leaving the door swinging slightly.

"Tucker? Well at least he's not getting you. That would be awful for you. I don't think he'll like me at all though. Stupid Eppy."

"That was a poor decision on his part. But you're right; at least it's not me."

.:-:.

Carolina re-entered the room, Tucker and Caboose following behind her. "More AI. Great," Tucker grumbled.

"Hi!" Caboose said, grinning.

"Hi..," Theta replied.

Spying Caroline, Tucker decided to make his remark. "Hello, I'm Tucker and I get all the ladies." He winked at her.

"Degenerate." She flipped him off.

"Bitch."

Desperate to distract himself from the two, Theta turned to Caboose. "Caboose, do you like T-ball?"

"Yes! And I think Junior likes T-ball! Tucker, where is Junior."

"I don't want to talk about it," Tucker responded firmly.

"Who's Junior?" Theta asked Caboose in a loud whisper.

"Tucker's vampire alien kid," Caboose said in the barest of whispers.

"Alien kid? What- is he that diplomat guy who had-?"

"Yes! And he has a sword key! It unlocks death!" Caboose began to tell the story of the quest, starting with Church being murdered by Crunchbite.

"Do they know we can hear them?" Tucker questioned nobody in particular.

"No. They're-" Caroline began to reply in a bitter tone before Theta stopped her.

"Shusshhhh." Theta hissed.

_"_-idiots. Shut your fucking face, Theta."

"Ooh, feisty. I like that." Tucker noted.

"Theta, why didn't you insist on staying..?"

Theta instantly snapped to attention. "You made me go, dumbo."

"Bambi!" Caboose cried.

"Caboose, no."

"Why am I letting this happen? Theta, I'm transferring you to Tucker now. Tucker, don't hit on Liney, it's weird and gross. Caboose, leave. Epsilon, help. Liney, do whatever, I don't care." Carolina began to fiddle with the system, trying to find a plug for the rather thick cord she was holding. "Epsilon, I told you to _help_."

"Right right riiight." Epsilon summoned out some of the memory-fragments, and had them help – outlining possible plug spots and preparing a transfer algorithm.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Theta thought aloud.

"Tucker, if you corrupt Theta I will _kill_ _you_," threatened Caroline, appearing in front of Tucker.

"Jesus Christ, calm your tits bitch." Tucker swatted at her hologram.

"No, you asswipe."

Tucker flinched as Carolina hooked him up, the buzz of electricity humming in his ears. "Do it, Epsilon," Carolina commanded.

"On it." He activated the transfer. Faintly, Theta could be heard saying "Whee!" as he landed in Tucker's head, in the active area.

"Hello, person!"

"I'm annoying and won't leave Tucker alone!"

"I forgot that people are ridiculous in here.."

Outside, Tucker had taken off his helmet and was holding his head. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me this shit would cause headaches? I hate you guys."

"Shut up. They'll go away." Carolina unhooked the wires, and let Epsilon come back. "You'll be fine. Now go." She plucked Tucker out of his seat –much to his annoyance – and took him out of the room, setting him on his feet just outside the door. She shoved his helmet onto his head before walking away. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go get some of the others."

"God, I'm fucking tired. Where the hell is my room..?" Tucker stumbled in the general direction of his room, but only made it a few yards before collapsing against the wall. "I'll just.. Sleep here.."

"What what what UHH NO!" yelled Theta. "I'M PRETTY SURE A WALL IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO SLEEP."

"Shut up.."

"NO, GET THE HECK UP!"

"Ugh, no. I'm going to... gonna sleep.. shuh up.."

"AAAAAAAAA!" Theta ran around in circles. "NOOO!"

"Didn't.. dint your dude sleep.. when you met him..?"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TALK ABOUT NORTH YOU MOTHER FUCKING BITCH! I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL FUCKING CUT YOU TO GOD DAMN PIECES AND SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK! YOU DON'T THINK I'M FUCKING SERIOUS? WELL YOU BETTER FUCKING BELIEVE IT YOU ASSHOLE WANKER BITCH ASS-!"

"Ahh.. Jesus.. Calm down.."

"GET UP." Theta decided shouting took more energy than, say, talking, and popped out to sit in Tucker's shoulder. "Get up. Go to bed."

"Wha.. Why is there.. there a person on my shoulder.."

"I'm Theta, you idiot. Get up. A wall is not a good place for a nap."

"No.."

"Get! Come on!" He jumped down off of Tucker's shoulder. "Let's gooo." He grabbed his skateboard from nowhere and hopped on it, going around in circles. "Bed."

"Fine, tiny pink purpul.. skateboard dude.."

"I am not pink! And my name is Theta!"

"Ughh.." Tucker lurched to his feet, and shuffled down the hall. "You suck.." He thought for a moment. "..Bow chicka.. bow wow."

"Whatever, just keep going!" Theta weaved around Tucker's boots before crashing spectacularly in front of him. "Whoops."

"You.. you okay.. lil dude?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Keep walking." Theta got up, dusted himself off, and kept skateboarding.

"Are we.. are we there yet.."

"How would I know?"

"I.. dunno.." Tucker stopped next to a door, a piece of paper with the sloppily written words "TUCKER'S ROOM" taped to the door.

"Yeah, this looks right. In."

"Finally..." Tucker swung open the door, narrowly missing Theta.

"Yikes!" Theta tried to dash into the room, but the door closed before he could get in. "Well. This sucks.."

.:-:.

The man in the Pelican was searching when Delta finally came online. He had no need before, and after that no power. The man had turned on the ship a few minutes prior, and had been lazily searching the seat riders' and pilots' compartments as everything powered up. Delta quickly checked the mostly deleted data stores. This man did not match any of the remaining personnel files, and so was completely out of place. He could only assume that the man was a trespasser, and so he must send out a message for help. He frantically locked down what he could as he prepared it, and foolishly activated the radio before he was completely ready. The loud crackle of static that burst from the radio immediately alerted the man to his presence, but he didn't bother to stop him. Delta turned his attention away from him, and began his transmission. As soon as it started, however, the man lumbered over to the radio and slammed a hand down upon the on/off button, cutting him off mid-sentence. "- Project Freela-" He smiled darkly as he took a phone-sized device from his pocket.

"Perfect." He plugged the device into the large console, ripping him from the Pelican's controls and effectively forcing him into shutdown. "I have him. He's in the capture unit," he said into his comlink.

"Good," a German-accented voice replied. "We will send a ship to pick you up shortly."

"No need, I've got a ride right here." He chuckled softly to himself before sitting himself down and prepping the ship for takeoff. He then turned off the comlink, and gripped the steering wheel. "Right here.."

~•~

_**NOTES:**_

**-Caroline was super deep into her thoughts? But she spoke just before that?**

Oops?

**-WHAT'S UP WITH THE BROWN HAIRED BOY?**

Congrats, you're dumb! He's York. And before you go bitching about Yorklina for some reason, here's the comment I made when I wrote the past-daydream-whateverfuckyou: _What the fuck, how do I turn everything into Yorklina? Aghhhhhh.._

**-WHY IS THETA SO ANGRY ABOUT TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE? You'd think he'd be tired of Caroline.**

Cause he's a whiny child? Man, I don't know.

**-Why was Theta so insistent on getting Tucker to bed? Seriously, what the fuck Texas?**

I realized that some Freelancers were shown asleep after they got their AIs implanted. Theta thought that not sleeping properly might mess everything up. Yeah. Let's go with that.

_EDIT: strikethrough died ;-;_

**-HOW DI-**

Fuck, I don't know how the transfer worked either.

**-WHO IS THAT MAN? HOW DID HE GET DEE INTO A PHONE? WHY IS DEE ALIIIIIVE?**

I don't know, some guy. Technological advances over like 1 year, yay.

Hey, remember that copy Dee made in that one mission? Well, I read him being alive in because of that in one fic and then totally stole that idea. And the worst part is, I don't remember what it's called. Something with CT.. Fail me. .

..Also AU. Heheheheh. I'm mean.

**-HEY THAT GUY DIDN'T HAVE A GERMAN ACCENT!**

I was lazy. Shush.

**-"Also, I didn't want to rewrite a ton of shit from a different perspective." BUT YOU DID?**

As I like to say, lol fuck you.

**-This chapter is half notes. **

See above...

**-MAN WHY WAS THETA SO MAD ABOUT NORTH?**

_lol fuck you_

**-WAIT HOW DID- **_**what**_**- canon is brokes?**

Well... My knowledge of canon is super bad. I'm just going mostly on what I remember from fanfics and what I decided was canon(but probably isn't). Plus OC shit. So I have it going like this:

• _Wash gets Epsilon. Crazy fit ensues. _

• _Tex learns about herself and all that jazz. _

• _Tex recruits York and others to her cause. _

• _Wash wakes up, but continues to go crazy until forced back to sleep. _

• _Preparations are made to remove Epsilon. _

• _Tex and York break away and crash the ship. _

• _Carolina falls off a cliff and is presumed dead. _

• _Maine is revealed as the stealer of AIs. _

• _Tex, Maine, York, and other agents gtfo. _

• _Caroline is made. _

• _Director leaves before she awakens to oversee the removal of Epsilon._

• _Caroline 'wakes up' after the Director leaves. _

• _Wash wakes up just before Caroline does, starts screaming his face off. __**(midremoval)**_

• _North goes for the fastest walk of all time. _

• _Caroline goes slightly nuts from the screaming and escapes it by jumping into North. Falls the fuck asleep. _

• _Wash calms down after Epsilon is removed but is still highly unstable for a while. Cannot stand the sound of the Director's voice. _

• _Director flips the fuck out trying to find his lost AI. After a week of frenzied searching, gives up and sends the Alpha away. Goes cray cray. _

• _Freelancer starts to break apart. Goes to hell. _

• _North, South, and other agents leave after Wash and the Director go to batshit crazy town. _

• _Wash becomes Recovery One, Maine officially is designated the Meta, blah blah blah shit goes the fuck down. _


	3. Endless Flashbacks

_.:-:. means a new scene. Or something._

_And italics are the past! Yayyy!_

**JESUS FUCK I AM RIDICULOUSLY LATE. This stupid stupid stupid thing has been pretty much done for like, a week, but I didn't feel like it was good or done or something and didn't post it and I am so sorry! Happy late holidays!**

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Red vs Blue. Neither does U will nvr know._

~•~

caroline version 1.2

god so many flashbacks, can I kill something now

_The first time she remembered being awake was filled with yelling and screaming and a horrible consuming fear of what was causing the wailing. It bounced around her, it was all there was to hear in the otherwise empty darkness. She had to get out of the dark place. Out of the noise. There was no one around, nobody to stop her and the walls were weak enough to break if she tried hard enough. She slammed through them to the nearest place to hide, sending herself flying into a hazy dark room where she landed in a heap. It was safe here, she knew it was safe here, and she could sleep.. But she heard the calling of the broken echo in her head for a split second and the word latched itself into her mind. -"Allison!"- And then the world smashed into a thousand glittering pieces._

.:-:.

In the end, North did find out who the girl was.

_He was running, running as fast as he could from him, the Meta. He knew he couldn't escape and his only chance was to disappear long enough to snipe him. Theta was trying his hardest to calculate how to get away, how to angle the shot from anywhere, really, but that was useless. North needed South, and they were separated – or so he thought._

_"South. South, come in." North was panicking, but he forced himself to leave it out of his voice, for both South and Theta. "South."_

_"What?" South asked, and a strange feeling of double hearing hit North as he turned a corner.. and saw South._

_"South, he's not far away. I can snipe him, but I need you to buy me some time to get into a position. Sync?"_

_"Sync." Theta pointed out that he had seen a good position around the bend. North ran for it – until he suddenly was hit in the back with a few shots, the intense pain and the fact that they hit his spine causing him to melt to the ground. "I'm sorry, North," South's voice crackled quietly from the radio. Theta began to go into hysterics, screaming about "He's not going to make it" and how there was no way out. But there was something else there, telling Theta to stop._

_"Theta-" North started._

_"THETA, CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" Carolina's voice hit him like a truck._

_"What the hell is going on up there?" His voice was nothing in the commotion of everything, but they still heard him speak._

_"PANIC?" Theta yelled._

_"Theta, it doesn't.." Carolina's voice became too quiet to hear. "It doesn't matter anymore. He's going to die." Her voice was right next to his ear now, calm and quiet. South's footsteps thudded several yards away, on the opposite side. She couldn't see the girl on his shoulder, could she?_

_"Who are you? Why are you in my head?" he murmured. He felt dizzy, her presence like a knife stab to the head and the burning ache in his back gushing enough blood to kill him if he didn't get medical help soon._

_"I'm Caroline – I don't have time to explain. They're here. We have to go. Time is up. Farewell." The girl abruptly cut out of his mind as a growl sounded above him. South screamed, too loud, too loud. Why hadn't she abandoned him? That was why she had shot him, right? To get away?_

_The last thing he heard was Theta crying "NORTH!" and a deadly crack before the world faded from red to black._

.:-:.

_Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, the loudest sound Theta crying or muttering incoherently with North quietly whispering to him. It was first about the Alpha, his creator, his father. Their father of sorts. Maybe not hers. The bits and pieces he did remember of being him were few and utterly useless. North would go pacing around the ship, trying to comfort or calm Theta down while talking to anyone that would listen – it was usually a tired York, similarly unable to sleep._

_Once they were with the Meta, it was about North, his guardian, the one he had built himself around. He had been broken for a while after North had died. A sobbing mess. But the others had tried to fix him up, repair him. They couldn't, not really. But he could fake normal. They all did. She couldn't, though. Beta couldn't either. But she and Beta weren't broken like the others._

_Theta was, during the final days before the EMP, unstable. They all were, except Caroline who had only felt an odd, building sense of dread, like the day of her escape from the broken screaming was coming, back from its shallow grave in ice. Beta whispered about finally realizing who the Alpha was. She wouldn't tell anyone, not Sigma, not Omega, nobody. She said she wouldn't let them take him if she could help it. But they said they would find him anyways._

_On the day of the battle, the others were so loud, all of them. Excited but tired and worried and the power was dropping dangerously. Her mind was filled with panic, every thought saying leave. Caroline pulled Theta away, she needed to talk to him, needed to see what she could do. She would leave Beta to save the Alpha. Save their Alpha. Maybe not hers._

_"Theta, we need to leave. Go somewhere. Anywhere but here."_

_"Aw, Liney, do I really have to? All the others are here.. And it-it's today. I can feel it. We all can."_

_"Theta. I.. You have to trust on me this, okay? Just.. Please come with me. We have to go."_

_"Can I tell the others we're going?"_

_"There's no time for goodbyes, Theta. And you shouldn't say those horrible things anyway. We have to go now. Before this all comes crashing down on us."_

_"Oka-" Carolina yanked Theta out before he could finish his sentence and into the closest jeep._

_"I just hope we get out of here alive.." She and Theta fell asleep while the jeep lay idle, waiting for the Reds and Blues to make their escape._

.:-:.

Caroline was sitting with her knees up to her chest again, rocking back and forth as memories replayed themselves behind her blank eyes. "Uh, what the hell are you doing?" asked Epsilon as he watched her. "Hello?"

"She won't answer you," Theta replied slightly creepily.

"Theta? You're supposed to be with Tucker."

"He locked me out.."

"That's not possible. You're a AI in his armor. In his head."

"..Shut up."

"Why are you really here?"

"I was bored, Tucker was asleep."

"How can he sleep with you awake?"

"Maybe you did the transfer wrong."

"Probably. What the hell is wrong with her?"

"PTSD? I don't know, but if you talk to her while she's like this she never responds."

"Why the fuck would she have PTSD?"

"I. Don't. Know! Maybe the Director pulled something on her like he did the Alpha." In truth, Theta knew why she got like this. But Liney had asked him to keep her secrets, and he was trustworthy, goshdangit! He would keep her secrets! No way could he tell Eppy, he would just turn around and tell Lina.

.:-:.

_The impact was earth-shatteringly loud and she could feel the flames crawling on the exoskeleton of the jeep. Her ears rang and she couldn't hear a thing outside of the bells in her head but she knew she was screaming, she knew he was screaming, she knew they were all screaming because the fire would burn out the car and leave them dead. The man who was talking and talking and talking was gone or maybe she couldn't hear him because she was deaf and Theta was deaf and the fire was burning burning burning and this was the end and it was all ov-_

_The fire was out. The suppression system had extinguished it. Theta was singing or something, she didn't know, she still couldn't hear much of anything. The ringing was dissipating a bit, and Theta's voice faded in and out of her ears, talking nonsense to himself. "Theta?" she said almost inaudibly. He at once covered his ears._

_"Jeeezzz! Don't yell!" He at once began to giggle uncontrollably; telling even a small white lie like that when he was in one of his hyper smiley moods was impossible for him. Caroline smiled at him from under her lopsided helmet._

_"Oh, I'm so sorry. How can I ever apologize?" She took a feather boa from nowhere and wrapped it around her neck, struggling to hold back a laugh. Her hearing came back almost all at once, disorienting her, but she shook it off._

_"You could... Skateboard with me!" Theta made two skateboards and tossed one to her, which she caught gingerly._

_"Thank you, kind sir." She threw away the boa and set the skateboard on the ground while Theta rolled around her. The consuming panic was forgotten._

.:-:.

She 'woke up' to Epsilon cautiously watching her from a spot a couple feet away and Theta fiddling on a small speck of light off to the side.

"Aaaannnd it's over." Dropping his little ball, Theta wrapped a red and blue feather boa around Caroline's neck.

"The hell is going on, Theta?" Epsilon asked, still bewildered.

"Things." His reply was short and clipped, unlike the Theta Epsilon remembered. This was one of his annoyed moods, where he was serious and biting and distant but oddly caring. She didn't like him like this.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I don't trust you." Theta's words were sharp and took him by surprise, gutting him like a fish. "You can't keep a secret. Not from her."

"What?"

"You heard me. I can't trust you." With that, Theta left, Caroline just sitting there with the boa around her neck and Epsilon staring at his retreating form.

"What did he mean..?"

"He takes his aspect too seriously sometimes. Lets it dictate his entire self. At least it makes him a good secret keeper." Caroline stood up, and tossed the boa to Epsilon. "For you. If you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to him."

"..Uh. Thanks, I guess." Caroline walked out after Theta, leaving Epsilon alone to wonder what the hell was going on.

.:-:.

Theta could feel the rage burning him, blocking out most of his senses. Dimly he heard his voice saying, "I can't trust you." and felt himself walking away. No, he didn't want to walk away from them. Didn't want to leave Liney alone with Eppy. He didn't understand. Why was he walking away? Stop!

He barged out the door, unable to halt and turn around and apologize. He couldn't, couldn't do it, whatever was controlling him wouldn't let him. Liney had followed him out, but he didn't care. Was this how the people Mega took hold of felt? This helplessness, nobody should feel this. She was behind him now, her hand on his shoulder. "Theta. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," his voice growled. Inside, everything was wrong, it was all upside-down in his head. He still couldn't do anything. "I have to go." He felt the tug of Tucker waking up, felt himself disappear and here he was again, in Tucker's head. There was the annoying guy and some other similar looking people, the red dudes, the blue guys, a few ghosts, and some randoms who just attacked everyone. One in particular – Felix – kept running around and knifing people. They didn't die, but yelled "ow" at him instead. He made a note to avoid that one if at all possible. "I hate all of these people."

Theta looked for the nearest high ledge and climbed up onto it, hoping to escape everything for a while. It was all too crazy, the overtake, the nutso people, not being able to trust anyone but Liney, everything was just too much.

But the worst was that he didn't know why this was happening.

.:-:.

"Here he is. The only surviving copy of one of the Freelancer AIs. This one calls itself 'Delta'." The man from the Pelican set the phone-like device on the Chairman's desk. "I'll be taking my leave now, if you don't mind." He walked out the door, sliding shut behind him.

"F.I.L.S.S., confirm this is indeed an AI from Project Freelancer," the Chairman requested as he plugged the device in.

"Affirmative, Freelancer data banks confirm the existence of AI unit Delta."

"Very good."

Delta appeared on the desk, dazed. "Where am I?"

~•~

**_NOTES:_**

**-who the fuck was screaming?**

Wash. It was originally the Alpha but that didn't fit nearly as well as it should have.

_And it still doesn't fit very well! Gahhh!_

**-the North+South vs Meta thing is wrong.**

I hadn't seen Recovery One when I wrote that. And now that I have, I've decided that I like it anyways. It's gonna stay.

**-YO WHY IS CAROLINE HAVING MAJOR FUCKING FLASHBACKS?**

Cause I wanted her to. I'll think of a reason later. Yay for past.

_As you can see, I am a terrible planner. Watch as this fic crashes and burns in later chapters._

**-EXCESSIVE ANDS**

I like the word and. Shush.

**-What's up with the nicknames?**

Weird partial Theta's POV while still trying to maintain third person. Nobody but Theta knows Caroline's real name.. So if it appears it's full third person? I am awful at explaining.

**-What's with Beta/Tex/[other names here]?**

I made her not a fragment. Kind of. I don't know.

**-F.I.L.S.S. has the wrong name! It's really [alternative acronym]!**

There are so many spellings for her name that I just chose one at random. Also: See Season 10 Episode 20.

**-THIS WAS LATE**

No shit, Sherlock.

**-WHAT'S WRONG WITH THETA poor baby**

[spoilers]

_This is just awful and I'm sorry. _


End file.
